There is a strong strain within the Indonesian political elites of hostility towards foreign involvement, or domination as it seen by some, in the economy, and Amien Rais, a leader of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Partai Amanat Nasional, is one of the most forthright in this niche.

Amien Rais, popular with the ladies.

Speaking on Thursday 27th July to an event held to mark the anniversary of the Independent Bull National Party (PNBK), Rais said the country had sold itself to foreigners and that rejection of foreign domination of the country's natural resources would be the key factor enabling Indonesia to recover from its present disarray.

The abundant natural wealth of this country is already in the power of foreigners without any control and supervision, while the nation can do nothing about it.

He then made note of the examples of Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, and Hugo Chaves of Venezuela, and suggested their records of rejecting foreign domination of their countries should be emulated by Indonesia - failing this the nation would remain in a parlous state and would fall further behind similarly positioned countries. The revolution that threw out the Dutch colonialists would not be complete until other, more dispersed, forms of foreign influence were rooted out.

9 Comments on “Foreign Domination”

Amien Rais is an authoritarian, left wing, nationalist who want to return Indonesia to the sort of undemocratic, socialist mess that is was under Sukarno. For Indonesia’s sake, let’s hope he and his kind do not get to far.

With an average 70/30 profit split in favor of the Indonesian government for oil & gas contracts, the thirst for foreign investment and the domestic market obligation that hampers such investments, what is he talking about?

how about the mere 10% from royalti and taxes the government receives from the biggest and richest company in Indonesia, freeport mcmoran? those kind of deal hurts this nation and it’s people seriously.

What hurts Indonesia MOST is NOT the small royalty received from foreign companies operating in Indonesia, it is the corrupt government officials.

Anyway, whose fault is it to accept a mere 10%? why not ask for 20%? is it the companies’ fault? looks like Indonesia’s fault to me…

A little off-topic, but I remember going to elementary school and being forced to learn how evil the Dutch was for occupying Indonesia for 350 years. I still remember vividly what was mentioned in the (so-called) history book: “…politik busuk devide et impera penjajah Belanda…”
Who’s fault is it that the Dutch stayed for that long? I don’t think they’re evil, it was Indonesia who’s stupid.

I dont think RAIS is very bright men. if he ever become a Indonesian leader the peoples would hung him in no time. from making them sufer because of his egnorance and egocentric. I bet his filty rich from taking foreign bribe. FACT economi in Indonesia will be ten time worse whithout foreign business. I still believe that he got poses by bin ladin that way he practice bogus Muslim.

heck, the US were colonialized by the english once, are they stupid too? when a meany bullies a weak guy, is the weak guy stupid or the bully just mean and selfish? we didn’t let them stayed here, there are countless attempts to repel those colonialists. we just don’t have the power to get rid of them because of obvious technological and military inbalance back then. sheesh, talk about wiseguys.

They probably were stupid, too – but at least I don’t see emotional content embedded in the US history book. What disturbs me is not whether or not Indonesia was colonized, it is the fact that we curse on them in our history book. Let’s leave history book for – well – history!

Hassan, being patriotic is good, but that doesn’t mean you can curse on other nations. What I see all the time is what Andrew observes – elementary school kids being brainwashed into believing that the Dutch is evil. THERE IS NO EVIL in a war, it is a jungle out there. If you can’t get rid of the colinialist, do something else with your brain – you don’t need to curse at them, it’s that simple.

Mark: the part when the colonialists always try to justify their past behaviour, that is totally unacceptable. actually the history books were saying the Dutch were evil back then, when they invade and colonialize our country, not the Dutch today.